Pokemon: Beginnings of Adventure Part 1
by BentleyGirl
Summary: A long time before Kalos, a young Trainer named Santos sets off with his friend, Red, on an adventure to become a Pokemon Master. On the way, he meets a young girl working for Team Rocket and finds there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. Takes place before Poke Rangers: Knights of Order. Read & Review.
1. Prelude

**Hello again. Welcome to my second Pokemon story.**

 **For those of you who don't know, this story is a prequel/spinoff of my Poke Rangers story, Knights of Order and it concerns two characters created by D.J. Scales, Santos and Camille. Between us, D.J. and I managed to formulate a history between them and plan out a journey, which will be done in a mix between the games and the anime.**

 **This story will be told in separate parts, each concerning every region before X and Y, which is where Knights of Order takes place.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Pokemon games. If I did, Pokemon Go would have every single Pokemon, including the Legendary Pokemon.**

* * *

Prelude

 _The Safari Zone, Fuchsia City, Kanto_

"Stay close everyone," the tour guide announced to the people with her. "The Safari Zone can be a dangerous place if you're not careful. In a moment, we're about to start the next Capture round. Once the game starts, you have thirty minutes to catch whatever Pokemon takes your fancy."

As the tour guide continued explaining the rules, a couple at the back were tending to their young girl. "Are you ready to get started, Camille?" the father asked.

"Yes, yes, yes," she cheered, jumping up and down so much that her purple hair shook.

"Try to save your energy, sweetie," her mother laughed. "You're gonna need it if you want to look for some Pokemon."

The father then took out a small ball that had camouflage print on it. "See this, honey? This is called a Safari Ball. It's one of many different types of Poke Ball that you can use when you start your Pokemon journey."

"I wanna hold it!" Camille shouted.

"Sure thing," he chuckled, handing it to her. "One day, I know you will be an amazing Pokemon Trainer."

"Everyone ready?" the tour guide called. "The game will start in three... two... one... Begin!"

"Let's go!" the father yelled, grabbing his wife's hand and running after the others.

Camille ran after them, going as fast as her little legs would carry her. But she couldn't keep up with her parents or anyone else and soon she was all on her own in the middle of the wilderness.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she called as she kept going along the path. "Where are you?"

After a while, she stopped by a large brown lump, panting for breath, and she sat down to rest. She was just starting to close her eyes when she felt the lump shudder and then rise. Then a horned head appeared on one side, glaring right at her, followed by three long tails on the other side.

The next thing she knew, the Tauros gave a loud snort and charged into the plains. Camille had to cling tightly to its fur so she wouldn't get thrown off.

The Tauros ran for a good few miles before coming to a stop. Camille lost her grip as it skidded and flew off the Tauros, landing in the middle of a lake. The impact on the water stunned her and she sank beneath the surface, unable to swim back.

Just then, she saw a dark shape swimming towards her, catching her in its tail and pulling her back to the surface. At last, she broke through the water, coughing and spluttering. Looking up, she found herself looking at a serpent-like Pokemon with two wings on the sides of its head.

"W-who are you?" Camille gasped.

The Pokemon didn't reply, it just swam to the other side of the lake and stopped by the shore. Camille climbed off and smiled. "Thanks for saving me. Do you want to be my friend?"

The Pokemon gave a gentle cry that sounded positive.

"Yay!" Camille cried, grabbing the Pokemon in a hug.

Suddenly they heard loud voices coming from the bushes. Camille looked round in hope. "Mum? Dad?"

But the people that emerged from the foliage were not her parents, they were two young men and a woman dressed in black uniforms, black hats, white gloves and boots. On their shirts was a large red R.

"Alright, you two," snapped one man with blue hair. "Time to search out the lake. The boss wants some Dratini and it's our job to find them."

"Hey, look," the other man cried, pointing at Camille. "That kid's got a Dratini right there!"

"Hi, little girl," the woman called with a smile. "Is that your Dratini?"

"She's my friend," Camille replied. "And my mum always told me not to talk to strangers."

"How old are you, dear?"

"Seven. Why do you ask?"

"Interesting," the leader thought aloud. "That means you're not old enough to own Pokemon. Ergo, that Dratini isn't yours. So hand it over!"

Dratini gave an angry shout, glaring at the new people.

"No!" Camille snapped. "She doesn't want to go with you! Now get lost!"

"Well, that wasn't very nice," the woman scowled, taking out a Poke Ball. "I guess we'll have to take it by force!"

The two men also took out their Poke Balls. "Come on then, let's go!"

They threw out their Balls, calling out a Zubat, a Koffing and a Raticate. "Get that Dratini now!"

Zubat swooped over Camille's head, fangs ready to bite. Dratini responded by firing a bolt of lightning from the jewel in its head, zapping Zubat and knocking it out.

"Whoa!" Camille gasped.

Koffing then made its move, belching out a cloud of gas at Dratini. The little Pokemon opened its mouth and shot an icy beam that cut through the gas and struck Koffing, freezing its body.

"Grrr!" the leader growled. "Go get it, Raticate!"

At the order, Raticate bounded towards the lake, bearing its sharp teeth.

"Stay away from her!" Camille yelled, jumping in front of Raticate.

Undaunted, Raticate kept on running until it bashed into Camille. With a cry, she fell back on the ground, throwing the Safari Ball out of her hand. The evil men and woman watched silently as the Ball flew through the air and knocked Dratini on the head, opening up and absorbing her inside.

"Noooo!" the leader yelled. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

Ignoring him, Camille stared at the Ball, picking it up. "Are you okay, my friend?"

"Grab her!" the leader yelled.

The other man and the woman went up to Camille and grabbed her arms, lifting her up.

"Hey! Let me go!" Camille screamed, struggling to escape.

The leader stepped up to her and snatched away the Safari Ball. "You've got a lot of nerve taking what rightfully belongs to Team Rocket. Now, my boss will want to have a few words with you..."

* * *

 **And this is where the prelude ends. Next chapter will start the story off properly.**

 **See you soon.**


	2. The Adventure Begins

**In this chapter, we will introduce Santos and the protagonist of FireRed/LeafGreen.**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins

 _Pallet Town, 3 years later_

" _And the match has come down to this. Each trainer has just one Pokemon left; Esther has sent out Gengar and Michael has called out Nidorino for this final battle. Whoever wins this match will go onto the next round._ "

As the Pokemon battle began on the TV, Santos and Red sat on the sofa, watching with anticipation. They were watching a rerun of the Pokemon League battles, taking turns to pick who would win each battle.

"Who do you think will win this round?" Red asked.

"It's gonna be Gengar, obviously," Santos replied confidently. "Nothing can defeat a Ghost Pokemon."

"We'll see about that," Red retorted.

On the screen, Nidorino was charging towards Gengar, ready to jab the Ghost with its horn. Before it could make contact, Gengar disappeared into the ground and reappeared behind Nidorino.

" _Gengar has avoided that Horn Attack easily, but how will it follow that move? Wait a minute, folks, looks like Gengar's already charging up an attack..._ "

Gengar summoned a black ball in its hands as it floated into the air. Then it launched it out at Nidorino who was sent flying across the arena.

" _Oh, Gengar has dealt some serious damage with that Shadow Ball! And now it's about to finish it off._ "

At that moment, Gengar swooped down towards Nidorino, its hand raised in a glowing fist. With one powerful punch, Gengar sent Nidorino up into the air and it crashed into the wall behind its owner. As the dust cleared, Nidorino fell to the ground unable to move.

" _Nidorino is unable to battle. The winner of the battle is Esther from Saffron City!_ "

"Oh, man!" Red groaned as the announcer made his concluding speech. "I thought for sure that Michael would win that match."

"But he made the mistake of having Nidorino use a Normal attack against a Ghost Pokemon," Santos explained. "Gengar had the upper hand from the beginning."

"Yeah." Red then gave a huge smile. "Hey, Santos, you know what would really be great? If that was us on the screen right now."

"We don't have to imagine it," Santos chuckled. "We're gonna start our journeys tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh yeah, we both turned ten recently and that makes us eligible for a Pokemon license!"

"Yep. And once we get our first Pokemon from Professor Oak, we'll be ready to face the world!"

"Yeah!" Red cheered, jumping off the sofa. "I can't wait!"

Santos couldn't help but smile, his friend's excitement was contagious. Red was spending the night at his house because he was closer to Professor Oak's lab. He and Red had been friends since they were little and they had insisted to their mothers that they wanted to start their journey together.

Just then, a young woman came into the room, smiling at the two boys. "Is that the sound of excitement I hear?"

"Hey Mom," Santos beamed. "We're just super stoked for our journey to start!"

His mother laughed at her son's eagerness. "Well then, you boys better get yourselves to bed. Don't want to oversleep, do you?"

"Okay," Santos replied, switching off the TV. "Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, Mrs Greene," Red added.

Ten minutes later, the boys were up in Santos' room. Santos lay in his bed while Red climbed into his sleeping bag on the floor. Santos set his alarm clock for 7:30 so they would be at Oak's lab by 8.

"Hey, Santos?"

"Yeah, Red?"

"What Pokemon are you gonna choose?" Red asked. "We only get to pick one after all."

"I don't know, dude," Santos laughed. "We just have to pick what we like. We've got a choice between Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle."

"Yeah, but don't forget. Gary's gonna be there too."

"I know," Santos sighed. "That guy's always on our back. But let's not worry about him. Better get some sleep. Goodnight, Red."

"Night, Santos," Red yawned, settling to sleep.

Santos lay back in his bed, looking up at the poster on his ceiling. It showed a Charizard breathing fire onto a Blastoise while a Venusaur attacked them with its whips.

"Just you wait, world," he whispered. "I'll be the greatest Pokemon trainer ever!" With that thought, he closed his eyes and went to sleep...

* * *

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_ The alarm had barely started ringing before Santos slammed his hand on it, switching it off.

"Wake up, Red!" Santos called, jumping out of bed. "It's time to get ready!"

"Five more minutes," Red groaned groggily.

"We don't have five minutes, dude!" Santos cried. "Today's the big day!"

"What?" Red struggled to stand up, but got caught up in his sleeping bag and fell to the floor again. "Little help?"

Laughing to himself, Santos helped Red out of his bag and then they both got dressed and ran down the stairs. Santos wore a white shirt with a Poke Ball on the front, a brown jacket, blue shorts and hiking boots while Red was dressed in a black shirt, a red sleeveless jacket, a red and white cap, baggy jeans and red running shoes.

Santos' mother was waiting for them in the kitchen, packing their backpacks. "Morning, boys!"

"Hey, Mom," Santos called. "We're ready to go now."

"I can see that," his mother beamed. "Look at you, my little Santos all grown up and starting his adventure."

Red picked up his yellow bag while Santos took his green hiking pack. "Well, we're off to Professor Oak's," Santos declared.

"Go on ahead, you two," his mum replied. "I'll meet you outside when you're done."

With a smile, the boys ran out the front door and set off up the street.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at Professor Oak's lab. The building sat on top of a hill overlooking a vast fenced-off plain. Santos knew that the area was where the extra Pokemon of many renown Trainers roamed and mingled with each other, training themselves for when they would be needed again.

As they reached the steps leading up to the lab, Santos looked at his watch. "Still a few minutes before eight. I think we made it in good time."

"Alright, let's go meet the Professor!" Red ran up the stairs, eager to get his journey started. Soon he reached the door and-

WHAM! The door suddenly swung open, bashing Red in the face. In the doorway stood a young boy about Red and Santos' age with blond spiky hair and brown eyes, wearing a dark gray shirt, purple cargo pants and black shoes. A blue pack hung from his black belt and he had purple bands around his wrists.

"Is that you, Gramps?" he called, before noticing Red collapsing on the ground. "Oh, it's just you, Reddie. What are you doing napping out here? Is that where you spent the night?"

"Gary Oak!" Santos yelled, running over to check on his friend. "What is the meaning of this? How long have you been here?"

"About five minutes," Gary replied nonchalantly. "If you're looking for Gramps, he's not here yet. One of his scientists told me he was out of town, doing some research or other."

Red sat up, glaring at Gary. "You! Was that on purpose?"

"Of course not," Gary retorted. "I didn't think you would even show up, Santy."

"Don't call me that!" Santos snapped, turning round. "Red, you stay here. I'm gonna find the Professor."

"Try not to lose your way, Santy!" Gary called out mockingly.

Santos sighed and shook his head angrily. Since they were kids, all Gary had done was belittle him and Red, teasing them incessantly. In fact, the first time they'd met at Pokemon School, Gary was laughing at Red, claiming that "someone as wimpy as him could never be a Pokemon Trainer", and Santos had stepped in to defend him. From that day on, Santos and Red had become close friends.

Santos paused in his thoughts as he saw that he had reached the edge of town. From here, the wilderness lay before him, full of untold dangers and Pokemon waiting to be discovered. He then saw a middle-aged man in a white coat wandering around the edge of the forest. "Professor Oak?"

The man looked around and smiled. "Oh, hello there... Santos, was it? What brings you to Route 1 today?"

"I was looking for you actually," Santos replied. "Gary told us that you were out here. You were supposed to-"

Suddenly they heard a rustling noise coming from the bushes. "Oh, watch out!" Oak cried. "There's a wild Pokemon coming out!"

Santos watched nervously as the rustling grew louder. Then a small yellow Pokemon popped out of the bushes. The Pokemon was a foot tall with black diamond-shaped ears, pink circles on its cheek and a black lightning bolt shaped tail. It looked around until it spotted Santos and tilted its head to one side. " _Pichu?_ "

"It's a Pichu, the early stage of Pikachu," Oak cried. "Better catch this guy fast! Poke Ball, go!"

So saying, Oak threw out a Poke Ball, which struck the Pichu on the head, opening it up and absorbing it in a flash of red light. Santos watched as the Ball began to shake, the button flashing for a bit as Pichu struggled to escape and then...

Ding! The button stopped flashing.

"Gotcha!" Oak cheered, picking up the Ball. "Pichu has been captured!"

"That was amazing!" Santos cried.

"Oh, it was nothing really," Oak replied. "Normally you'd have to weaken the Pokemon before you catch it. By the way, why exactly were you looking for me?"

"Well, Red and I are about to start our Pokemon journey."

"Oh, of course!" Oak cried, slapping his forehead. "In the excitement of my research, I completely forgot. Let's get back to the lab, quick!"

* * *

By the time Santos and Oak had returned to the lab, a small crowd was starting to gather. Santos could see his mother and Red's mother among the people. He waved at them as they entered the lab.

Gary and Red were waiting by a desk with three Poke Balls. "Hey, Gramps, what took you so long?" Gary said. "I was just about to take a Pokemon anyway, except Reddie here wouldn't let me."

"We all have to choose a Pokemon at the same time!" Red snapped.

"Alright, boys, that's enough," Oak called, stepping behind the desk. "Red is absolutely right. Now come up and choose your first Pokemon to be your partner. Your choices are: Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon; Charmander, the Fire Lizard Pokemon; or Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon."

"I already know what I'm gonna pick," Gary replied, taking the Poke Ball on the right. "Squirtle is now mine."

Red looked between the last two Balls. "Oh man, I don't know which to pick."

"Here, let me help you out." Santos took the middle Poke Ball. "I've always loved to have Charmander as my Starter."

"Then I guess I'm going with Bulbasaur," Red said, picking the last Poke Ball.

"Splendid!" Professor Oak beamed. "Those Pokemon will certainly be a very useful partner in your journey. Now it's time to receive another most important object for your journey: your PokeDexes!" He took out three small red devices and handed one each to them. "These are your Pokemon encyclopedias, filled with all the information you need on the Pokemon you find and the attacks they can use."

Santos quickly opened his PokeDex and looked up the information on Charmander. "'The flame that burns on the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions.' Neat!"

"Well, that's pretty cool and all, but I'm wasting my time here," Gary said, pocketing his Poke Ball and PokeDex. "I'm off to start my adventure. Smell ya later, Gramps, Reddie, Santy!" With that, he turned and swaggered out of the lab.

"That was rude of him," Red scowled.

"Don't worry about him," Santos laughed. "Now why don't we take a look at our Pokemon?"

"Yeah!" Red threw out his Poke Ball. "Come on out, Bulbasaur!"

"You too, Charmander!" Santos called.

In a flash of light, the two Pokemon appeared before them. Red's Pokemon looked like a bright green dinosaur with a bulb on its back, and Santos' Pokemon was a small orange lizard that had a flame burning on the end of its tail.

"Hey there, Charmander," Santos beamed at his Pokemon. "I'm Santos, your new Trainer. You ready to face the world with me?"

" _Char, char!_ " Charmander replied eagerly, wagging its tail.

"And what about you, Bulbasaur?" Red asked.

Bulbasaur glanced at Red for a moment then nodded reluctantly. " _Bulbasaur._ "

"Okay, then off you go, boys!" Oak called. "Your Pokemon adventure begins now!"

With wide smiles, Santos, Red and their Pokemon stepped out of the lab, greeting the crowd waiting for them.

Santos' mother went up to his son. "Is that your Pokemon? He is so cute!"

" _Charmander, char,_ " the Fire Pokemon said bashfully.

"Well, Mom, guess I'm on my way," Santos sighed. "I'll call you whenever I can, I promise."

"Good luck on your journey," she sniffed, hugging her son close. "I'm so proud of you."

Santos looked round and saw Red finishing his goodbyes with his mother. "You ready, man?"

"Sure am," Red replied. "Let's go!"

"Wait! Hold on! I'm coming!"

Santos looked up and saw a young girl running towards them, her purple hair all scruffy like she'd just woken up. She stopped in front of him, panting for breath. "Am I still good for my first Pokemon?"

"Uh..." Santos grimaced uncertainly. "Sorry to tell you, but you're kind of too late."

"WHAT?" the girl shrieked, pulling at her hair. "No, no, no, no, no! You can't be serious!"

"What's going on out there?" Oak called, coming out of the lab.

"Oh, Professor," Santos said. "This girl has come to choose her Pokemon, but she's a little late. Isn't there any other Pokemon she could use?"

"Well, I suppose I could make one little exception," Oak decided. "Come on, my dear. I'll help sort you out."

"Oh, thanks, Professor!" the girl cried, running up the stairs.

Santos smiled as he watched her go. "I hope she gets something good from the Professor."

"Hey, Santos!" Red called, already setting off down the road. "Are you coming or what?"

"Alright, I'm coming!" Santos replied. "Let's go, Charmander!"

With that, he set off after Red, ready to begin his great adventure...

* * *

 **And I'm going to end this chapter here. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **See you next time**


	3. On the Road to Viridian City

**Our heroes are on the road at last, but what new adventures await us?**

* * *

Chapter 2: On the Road to Viridian City

As they walked along the road, Santos looked around at all the natural beauty around them. Pidgey flew overhead towards the trees and Rattata bounded across the path, chasing each other. Red kept in perfect step with them as they walked. "So Red, what should we do now?"

"Well, our main priority is getting to the next city," Santos replied. "Let's let our new Pokemon out. It'll give us a chance to get to know them."

"Good idea," Red said, taking out his Poke Ball. "Bulbasaur, come on out!"

"Charmander, I choose you!" Santos called, doing the same.

In a flash of light, both Pokemon appeared before their trainers.

"Hey there, guys," Santos beamed. "Nice to see you again. What do you think of the world out here?"

Charmander looked around him with an eager smile. " _Char, char!_ "

" _Bulba, bulbasaur,_ " agreed Bulbasaur.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Red said with a smile. "Sure beats that stuffy old lab any day."

Just then, they heard rustling in the long grass. Charmander and Bulbasaur were instantly on the alert as Red and Santos spun round to look.

"Is that a wild Pokemon?" Red asked nervously.

Santos narrowed his eyes as the rustling grew louder. "Just wait and see what comes out."

Seconds later, a flock of small brown bird Pokemon burst out of the grass, startling the two Trainers as they took to the sky.

"What were those?" Red gasped.

Santos took out his PokeDex and scanned the birds. "'Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon'," he read. "'A common sight in forests and woods.'"

"Oh, cool," Red replied.

" _Piiiiiichuuuuuuuu!_ "

Red spun around at that cry. "Did you hear that?"

"It came from this way," Santos shouted, running across the field with Charmander. "Come on!"

Red hurried after them with his Bulbasaur. He soon caught up with them in a clearing, where the purple haired girl from earlier was fighting a Pidgey with her Pichu. The Pidgey swooped down towards Pichu who nimbly jumped out of the way.

"Alright, Pichu, hit him with Thunder Wave," the girl ordered.

" _Piiiiichuuuu!_ " Pichu sent out a small bolt of electricity that struck the Pidgey. With a cry, the Pidgey fell to the ground, unable to move.

"What's wrong with it?" Red asked.

"Pichu's paralyzed it with Thunder Wave," Santos replied, watching the battle in awe. "It won't be able to fight back now."

"Good work, Pichu. I'll take it from here." The girl took out a Poke Ball and threw it out. "Poke Ball, go!"

The ball struck the Pidgey on the head and opened up, absorbing the Pokemon in a flash of light. As the ball hit the ground, it began to shake.

"I think that Pidgey's putting up a fight in the Ball," Red hissed.

Santos didn't reply, watching the Ball shaking once... twice... three times...

 _Ding!_ The ball stopped shaking.

"She's caught it!" Santos gasped.

The girl picked up the ball with a smile and turned to her Pokemon. "Nicely done, Pichu! You've proved yourself to be quite useful." She then lifted her Pokedex and scanned the Ball. "Let's see... Gust... Quick Attack... Oh, Aerial Ace, huh? I think I'll keep this one."

"Hey!" Santos called. "That was quite a battle there!"

The girl turned to look at him derisively. "Oh, you're the ones I saw leaving Oak's lab, right?"

"And you're the girl who turned up late," Red responded. "What happened back there?"

"I just overslept, okay?" the girl snapped. "Anyway, by the time I got there, Professor Oak had already given away the Starter Pokemon. All he had was this Pichu, but he was kind enough to give it to me."

Santos looked closer at the Pichu. "Hey, that's the same Pichu Oak caught when I went looking for him. Small world, huh?" He then looked back at the girl. "Oh, how rude of me! We haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Santos. And this is my friend, Red."

"Hiya," Red said.

"Camille," the girl said simply.

Charmander and Bulbasaur went up to Pichu and introduced themselves. Pichu nodded and shook Charmander's hand. Bulbasaur extended a vine from the bulb on its back and Pichu shook it too.

"So, what are you boys up to?" Camille asked.

"Well, we don't really know yet," Santos admitted. "We're just on our way to the next city."

"Really?" Camille asked, raising an eyebrow. "So you're not thinking of taking on the Pokemon League Championships?"

"Championships?" Santos cried.

"You really didn't know?" Camille scoffed. "It's only the most important thing that every Trainer would take part in."

"That sounds awesome!" Red yelled. "Dude, we should take part!"

"Yeah!" Santos agreed.

"Good idea," Camille said. "So how many badges do you have to enter?"

Santos and Red turned to look at her with a confused expression. "Badges?"

"Good grief, you two are hopeless, aren't you?" Camille sighed, shaking her head. "Every Trainer knows that you need eight badges to officially enter the Pokemon League." She then glanced over at Charmander and Bulbasaur. "And are those guys your only Pokemon? You're gonna need more than them to take on the Gym Leaders."

"Hey, we've only just started, okay?" Santos retorted. "We'll get other Pokemon, then we'll win those badges and get into the Pokemon League! You'll see."

" _Char, char!_ " Charmander agreed.

"Sure you will," Camille replied sarcastically, letting Pichu climb onto her shoulders. "In the meantime, I have to get going to Viridian City. See you at the Pokemon League, if you manage to make it." With that, she turned and left the clearing.

"Jeez, what's her deal?" Red muttered. "I'd have thought she'd be more excited about our plans."

"Well, we now have our new plan," Santos replied, turning to him. "So here's what we do: we are going to take on every Gym we find, get those eight Badges, and we're entering that Pokemon League. What do you say?"

"I'm in," Red said, holding out his hand.

" _Char._ " Charmander put his paw up too.

"S _aur._ " Bulbasaur placed his vine on top of Red's hand.

Santos smiled and put his hand in. "Alright. Then it's off to Viridian City!"

At that moment, another Pidgey flew out of the grass towards them. "But first, let's catch us some Pokemon!" Santos cried.

* * *

By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, it was late afternoon. Santos and Red admired the city, looking up at the buildings that stretched to the sky.

"So this is Viridian City," Santos breathed.

"Awesome!" Red cried. "Now let's go find the Gym!"

"Wait a minute," Santos said, grabbing his friend's shoulder. "It's getting late and our Pokemon need rest. Do you remember what Professor Oak told us back at Pokemon School?"

"'When your Pokemon can't fight, the Pokemon Center will put them right'," Red recited from memory. "That wasn't one of his best poetry, if you ask me."

"But it's something to remember," Santos replied. "So let's go there."

Walking down the street, they soon reached the Pokemon Center, a squat little building with a red roof and a Poke Ball sign on the front. Stepping through the automatic doors, they approached the entrance desk. Behind it sat a young woman with pink hair wearing a pink and white dress and a white cap.

"Hello and welcome to the Pokemon Center," the woman called with a smile. "My name is Nurse Joy. How may I help you?"

"We'd like to have our Pokemon checked up, please," Santos said.

"Certainly," Nurse Joy replied. "May I first see your Pokedexes, please? I need to be sure that you're certified trainers."

Santos and Red handed their devices over and Nurse Joy scanned each of them on her computer. "Okay, everything checks out. Please place your Poke Balls onto the trays provided."

The two boys picked up two trays that had six slots for Poke Balls. Santos put two Balls on his tray and Red put just one on the other. Nurse Joy took both trays up. "I'll let you know when I'm finished."

That done, Santos and Red sat down at a stall to wait.

"So, great start to our journey, huh?" Red asked.

"Yeah," Santos replied. "Catching that Pidgey would be helpful to my team."

"I wish I was as lucky as you," Red sighed. "We've been walking all day and I haven't been able to get anything. Even those Rattata kept getting away from me."

"Cheer up, Red," Santos smiled, patting Red's shoulder. "I'm sure tomorrow will be-"

"Well, well, looks like you boys made it." They looked up and saw Camille coming up to them, carrying three Poke Balls on her tray. "How goes your little adventure?"

"We're just resting our Pokemon at the moment," Santos replied. "Then we're gonna take on the Gym here. I assume there's a Gym in Viridian City?"

"Oh yes, there is," Camille replied. "Unfortunately, the owner's away on an important meeting. Who knows when he'll be back."

"You seem to know a lot for being a starting Trainer like us," Red noted. "How do you know the Gym's closed?"

"Simple, I went up to the Gym and found the doors shut. Whatever, it's not like you would be able to beat the Gym Leader anyway. I hear he only takes on really strong Trainers, and that's what I'm going to be."

"What's your deal anyway?" Santos snapped, jumping off his seat. "We have exactly the same goal as you. You should be supporting us, not belittling us like you're better than us because you're not! We all started our journey at the same time, so that makes us the same!"

Camille responded by slapping Santos hard on the cheek. "Don't use that tone of voice with me!"

"That's enough!" yelled Nurse Joy, getting between them. "If you two have problems, you can sort them out in some other way. This type of action will not stand in this Center."

"Very well," Camille sighed. "We'll settle this with a Pokemon battle. Three-on-three. What do you say?"

"We can't," Red cut in. "I've only got one Pokemon and Santos has two."

"Hmm," Camille scoffed. "That's too bad."

"Wait, what about a compromise?" Santos cried. "Let's make it three one-on-one battles. Red will fight you first, and then I'll come in with my two Pokemon."

Camille thought it over. "I accept those terms. May the best trainer win." She held out her hand for Santos and then Red to shake.

* * *

A few minutes later, the three new trainers were standing on the outskirts of town, the arena lit up by the streetlights. Camille and Red stood on different sides of the street and Santos waited on the pavement with a small crowd.

"Okay, so you know the rules," Nurse Joy announced. "In each battle, you can only use one Pokemon with no substitutes. The person who manages to knock out their opponent's Pokemon first wins the round. Let the match begin!"

"Pidgey, let's go!" Camille shouted, sending out the Pokemon she'd caught earlier.

"Bulbasaur, I choose you!" Red called, summoning his starter Pokemon.

Camille just laughed. "This round's gonna be easy."

"We'll see about that," Red retorted. "Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"

" _Bulbasaur!_ " The Seed Pokemon launched a volley of leaves at Pidgey.

"Dodge it quick then use Gust!" Camille shouted.

Pidgey swooped out of the way of the leaves then started to flap its wings fast, creating a powerful wind that pushed Bulbasaur back.

"Hang in there, buddy!" Red called. "Grab it with Vine Whip!"

As Bulbasaur planted his feet on the ground, two long vines grew out from his bulb and shot out to grab Pidgey.

"Double Team!" Camille called.

In the blink of an eye, Pidgey sent out a dozen copies of itself on either side, surrounding Bulbasaur.

"Whoa!" Santos gasped.

"Hit them all quickly," Red yelled. "Try to find the real one."

Bulbasaur swung his vines around, striking each of the copies and making them disappear.

Camille just smiled confidently. "Aerial Ace!"

From the circle of clones, the real Pidgey swooped out and dived towards Bulbasaur. The Grass Pokemon barely had time to turn around before Pidgey smashed right into him, throwing him backwards across the field.

"Bulbasaur, no!" Red gasped, running to his Pokemon's side.

Camille nodded to herself and recalled her Pidgey. "Looks like I win this round."

Red sighed as he patted Bulbasaur's head. "It's okay, buddy. Just get some rest."

With a determined look on his face, Santos took his friend's place. "Now it's my turn."

"Sure is," Camille agreed, taking out a second Poke Ball. "Spearow, it's your turn."

In a flash of light, a new bird Pokemon appeared. It had an angry expression on its face, pink wings and a black back.

Red scanned it with his Pokedex. "That's a Spearow," he read. "Interesting."

Santos took out his Poke Ball and threw it out. "Okay, Pidgey, let's do this."

In a flash of light, Pidgey appeared, assessing its opponent.

"Let's end this quick," Camille decided. "Spearow, go for Drill Peck!"

Spearow took to the air then swooped towards Pidgey, its beak gyrating like a drill.

"Get out the way, Pidgey!" Santos called.

At the last second, Pidgey flapped into the air and Spearow crashed right into the spot where its opponent just stood.

"Now's my chance!" Santos decided. "Quick Attack!"

"Spearow, block with Fury Attack!" Camille called.

Pidgey dived as fast as it could towards Spearow, who flew into the air. The two birds struck each other in midair, then flew back and struck again.

Santos watched the attack patterns closely. "Hmm, both Pokemon are evenly matched," he said to himself. Then he remembered Camille's Pidgey using Aerial Ace. "Could my Pidgey do that move too? Only one way to find out..." Aloud he shouted, "Pidgey, go for Quick Attack!"

With a loud cry, Pidgey flew in for another strike.

"Is that the best you've got?" Camille scoffed. "Spearow, Drill Peck!"

Spearow streaked through the air, ready to impale Pidgey with its spinning beak.

Santos clenched his fist then punched the air. "Aerial Ace, Pidgey!"

Just before Spearow could hit, Pidgey disappeared from view. Spearow stopped in mid-flight and looked around for its foe. Seconds later, Pidgey reappeared overhead and dived straight as an arrow into Spearow, driving him down until they crashed into the ground. When the dust cleared, Pidgey stood triumphant on top of the unconscious Spearow.

"Awesome!" Red cheered.

"No!" Camille snapped. "How can this be?"

"Way to go, Pidgey!" Santos called.

"It comes down to this now," Nurse Joy announced as Santos and Camille recalled their Pokemon. "Each trainer has won one battle and there's one more to go. Whoever wins this round wins the match."

Santos smiled and took out his last Poké Ball. "Charmander, I choose you!"

"Pichu, let's end this!" Camille shouted, sending out her first Pokémon.

Both Pokémon appeared in the field, ready to fight.

"Charmander, Ember!" Santos yelled.

Opening his mouth, Charmander shot out a barrage of fireballs at Pichu.

"Thundershock!" Camille called.

Pichu fired a bolt of lightning from its cheeks, catching the fireballs in midair and causing a minor explosion.

"Let's try a Scratch this time!" Santos called.

Charmander raised his hands and dashed through the smoke, catching Pichu off-guard and slashing it across the chest.

"Gotcha!" Santos cheered.

"This battle's only just begun," Camille chuckled. "Pichu, Thundershock!"

" _Piiiichuuuuuuuuuuuu!_ " Pichu fired another bolt of lightning, hitting Charmander hard and throwing him back.

"Hang in there, Charmander!" Santos called. "Go for Ember again!"

Charmander fired another volley of fireballs. Pichu tried to dodge them, but was hit by a few of them and fell to the ground.

"No, Pichu!" Camille gasped. "Don't do this to me! I know you can win this!"

Suddenly, just as Santos was about to issue his next command, Pichu's whole body began to glow white. Everyone gasped in amazement as Pichu's shape changed. Its ear shrank back into smaller points and its lightning bolt tail grew longer. Finally, the light faded, revealing a completely new Pokemon. " _Pikachu!_ "

"Whoa!" Santos breathed, taking out his Pokedex and scanning it. "Pikachu, the evolved form of Pichu."

Camille smiled slyly. "Well done. All that training paid off."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Red yelled. "Now Pikachu's a lot stronger!"

"There's nothing in the rules that say Pokemon can't evolve in battle," Nurse Joy replied. "It's perfectly natural for them."

"It doesn't matter," Santos cried. "I'm still gonna win. Charmander, Ember once again!"

For the third time in the battle, Charmander spat out fireballs at Pikachu.

"Let's see your speed, Pikachu!" Camille called. "Agility, followed by Quick Attack!"

Pikachu bounded to one side, avoiding the Ember with ease, before she charged across the field and slammed into Charmander, throwing him back. As the Fire Pokemon tried to get up, his body was surrounded by sparks.

"What's wrong with him?" Santos gasped.

"That's Pikachu's special Ability, Static," Camille explained. "Now your Pokemon's been paralyzed. You might as well quit this battle now."

"What?" Santos cried.

"Look at your Charmander," Camille replied. "I think he's had enough. Every trainer should know when their Pokemon has reached its limit. Call it back and end this battle."

"Don't listen to her, Santos!" Red yelled. "I know you can win this! Remember what we promised? We're gonna enter the Pokemon League together!"

Santos looked at his friend then turned back to Charmander. "I don't know..."

" _Char, char!_ "

Santos turned back to Charmander, who was still struggling to his feet but looking at him with a determined expression. " _Charmander, char, char._ "

"You're sure you can go on?" Santos asked.

" _Char, char._ " Charmander nodded. Suddenly, a bright red light appeared around Charmander's body, negating the sparks.

"What's going on?" Red gasped. "Is he evolving too?"

"I don't think so." Santos checked his Dex again. "Blaze, Charmander's special ability. When it's weakened, they use this ability to power up their Fire attacks."

Camille gritted her teeth angrily. "Very well then, if you won't quit, then I'll end this myself. Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Pikachu bounded across the field again, ready to hit again.

"Charmander, let's try Smokescreen!" Santos called.

In response, Charmander spat out a cloud of black smoke, covering his body. Pikachu leaped into the smoke but she didn't hit Charmander and instead skidded to a halt on the other side.

"Huh?" Camille cried. "Where did he go?"

"Scratch!" Santos called.

Charmander burst out of the dissipating smoke and slashed Pikachu with his claws, throwing her back across the field.

"Pikachu, forget your speed and hit him with Thundershock!" Camille yelled.

Pikachu jumped to her feet, sparks building in her cheeks. " _Piiiikachuuuuuuuuuuuu!_ " She unleashed a lightning bolt much more powerful than before that struck Charmander hard.

"Charmander!" Santos gasped.

Red stared in shock as Charmander struggled to stay standing. Then just when the attack faded, Charmander opened his mouth and spat out a powerful stream of fire that swept over Pikachu.

"Was that Flamethrower?" Red cried.

At that moment, the fire faded, showing a very badly singed Pikachu lying on the ground. Slowly she struggled to get up, but the Flamethrower had been too much for her and she fell to the ground again.

"The battle is over!" Nurse Joy announced. "At two victories to one, the winner is Santos!"

"Yeah, we did it!" Santos cheered, snatching up his Charmander. "I'm so proud of you, buddy!"

" _Char, char!_ " Charmander replied.

Camille walked over to Pikachu who looked up at her sadly. " _Pika, pika._ "

"It's okay," Camille replied with a faint smile. "I'm just glad that you evolved."

Santos came up to her and held out his hand. "That was a good battle."

Camille was silent for a moment then she smiled and shook his hand. "I have to admit, you and your friend are tougher than I first thought. Maybe you might have a chance against the Gym Leaders after all."

"Really?" Red cried.

"Yeah, but I am right about one thing. You two will need much tougher Pokemon to take them on." Camille then lifted Pikachu onto her shoulder. "And by the way, your Gym battle will await you in Pewter City. It's only a two-day journey through the forest, maybe you'll find some Pokemon to help you out." With that, she turned and walked back to the Pokemon Center.

Red smiled and turned to Santos. "Alright, now we know where to go next."

"Yup," Santos replied. "We'll get a good night's rest and then tomorrow, it's off to Pewter City!"

* * *

 **What a chapter this turned out to be! So in the next chapter, Santos and Red travel into Viridian Forest, find some new Pokemon and learn some tips about their upcoming Gym battle.**

 **See you then**


End file.
